Together with the apple crumble that I’ve posted about before, these cookies (in their original form) were sustenance for my husband during exam time at uni … and he says, convinced him to marry me!

I remember making these as a ten year old for my younger brother and eating them together, while they were still warm, over school holiday movies. I must have made a hundred batches of them over the last 20 years! So the other day when my crook William asked if we could make cookies for afternoon tea, I decided to update these to make them safe for our family, and to add a few more nutrients than your standard cookie … and they are now as popular with my kids as they were with my husband, and my brother and I decades ago!

Please see below the recipe for the coeliac friendly version

• 120g vegan butter at room temperature
• 50g sunflower seed butter (or nut butter)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup flour (half wholemeal)
• 1/3 cup almond/seed meal (OR use and extra 1/3 cup flour here)
• 1/3 cup rolled oats
• 1 tsp GF baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• pinch salt flakes
• 1 egg OR 1 egg of egg replacement
• 4 squares of dark chocolate, roughly chopped (about 40g) OR choc chips

In your blender/food processor/nutribullet/thermal cooker place the oats, baking powder, salt & sugar. Blitz to a fine flour (speed 8, 10 secs). You can skip this step if you’re happy with whole oats in your cookie.

Add in the flour and mix to combine (speed 4, 6 secs).

Add in the butter, seed butter, vanilla and egg then pulse a few times to roughly combine before processing to a dough (speed 4, 8secs, scrape down and repeat if required)

Fold through the chocolate. (Speed 4, 6 seconds)

To make a coeliac friendly version: This is one of those times when you can do a straight swap for a GF flour mix for the wheat flour. Replace the oats with shredded coconut.

Form a teaspoon full into a ball and spoon onto a lined baking tray, allowing space to spread. Press down gently.

Cook in a preheated moderate oven for about 13-15 minutes.

They will be very soft when you remove them from the oven. Allow to cool on the tray for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. They will be crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside.

Makes about 20.

Lasts for a few days in an airtight container…. if you’re lucky!

Not a fan of choc chip? Weird, but ok! Use sultanas instead!

Enjoy 🙂

This warm gooey pudding seems to be a bit of an Aussie ‘classic’ for dessert, and one I have enjoyed at my Mother-in-law’s home many times. But my little miss has always missed out … until now.

“Pleeeeeeease can we make cake for dessert?!”.

Well, it’s Friday – sure! 5 minutes to whip it up and it baked while we ate our dinner. Yummo!! One happy little girl … who wants the left overs in her lunchbox … um, maybe not flossy-dot!

Pudding:

• 80g neutral tasting oil (I’ve used rice bran or melted Nuttelex)
• 100g sugar (increase to 130g if you are a sweet tooth)
• 3/4 cup SR flour
• 1/4 cup almond meal
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 130g milk of choice
• 2 tbsp cocoa
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp aquafaba (liquid drained from a can of chick peas) OR 1 whole egg.
• Optional: handful finely chopped dark chocolate or choc chip of choice

Sauce:

• 2 tbsp cocoa
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 350ml boiling water

In a large mixing bowl, use a whisk to mix together the flour, nut meal, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cocoa.

In a smaller bowl whisk together the milk, oil, egg/aquafaba and vanilla.

Add the wet mix to the dry and whisk together until well combined. Stir in the chocolate peices if using.

Pour into a greased baking dish.

Mix together the cocoa and sugar for the sauce and sprinkle it evenly over the top of the cake batter.

Pour the boiling water evenly over the top of cake, but do not mix it.

Place the dish into a preheated moderate oven for about 30-35 minutes or until the cake is well risen.

Serve warm, on its own, or with a little ice-cream of choice.

Serves 6-8

Want it gluten free? use 160g of a good all purpose GF SR mix (I like Bob’s Red Mill) with 1 tsp of psyllium, and increase the milk to 150ml.

Want it nut free? Replace the almond meal with another 1/4 cup of SR flour and omit the baking powder

Need it for a bigger crowd? The recipe doubles perfectly.

Enjoy 🙂

I meant to make my Pear Surprise muffins the other day …. but it turns out that I didn’t have the stewed pears left in the fridge that I thought I did. Oops.

I did have extra overripe bananas frozen and a little miss begging me for chocolate muffins …. so this was the result. These are lovely, light and moist.

• 75g butter/plant based butter, melted OR light tasting oil
• 180g milk of choice (we use almond or soy)
• 1.5 medium overripe bananas
• 4 tbsp sugar (honey or rice malt syrup work well too)
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 2 cups flour (half wholemeal)*
• 2.5 tsp GF baking powder
• pinch salt flakes
• 2 rounded tbsp cocoa
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 egg**

*To make this one coeliac friendly: replace the spelt flour with 1 1/2 cups GF flour mix plus 1/4 cup almond/seed meal

*To make this one egg free: replace the egg with an additional 1/2 banana

*To boost the nutrients: replace the 1/3 of the flour with equal quantities of almond or seed meal.

Into your blender/processor/nutribullet/thermo cooker place the bananas, butter, vanilla, milk and sugar/syrup. Blitz until smooth (Speed 7, 10 seconds)

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour baking powder, cocoa, salt and cinnamon (plus almond/seed meal if using).

Add the dry mix to the wet and mix to combine (Speed 4, 10 seconds, scrape down and repeat). Don’t over beat. I often just tip the wet mix into the bowl with the flour mix and combine by hand.

Line a standard muffin tin and spoon fill.

Place in a preheated moderate oven and bake for about 25 minutes or until well risen and they spring back when gently touched.

You can eat these as is, dust with pure icing sugar or ice them like cupcakes. And if you like a sweeter treat you could add a handful of choc chips to the mix.

Makes 12-14.

Enjoy 🙂